My daughters are obsessed with making videos, which made me take a closer look at the weird things kids watch on YouTube.

Kids are weird. But lately, the things they watch on YouTube strike me as really weird. Is this just me reaching old lady “in my day…” territory? Or are the things kids are watching (and emulating) on YouTube really freaking strange?

The other morning I woke up, groggy and still tired. When I grabbed my phone and unlocked my screen, I saw that my six-year-old had recorded a nine-minute video while I was sleeping.

It started off with my daughter’s grainy face in my almost-pitch black bedroom. It was near impossible to figure out what she was saying, as her whispers were drowned out by the white noise machine (which, it’s worth noting, is on for this very reason). Soon she gets up and wanders around the upstairs of our house, continuing to whisper some kind of song while staring intently into the screen. She eventually goes into the bathroom and turns on the light so that she can see herself more clearly and I see that, even though the sun hasn’t completely risen, she’s fully dressed.

She continues her song, which I can now identify as the line “We’ll do this togeeeeether,” over and over and over again, making different dramatic faces as she sings. The rest of the nine minutes is filled with her sitting on the toilet (while continuing to sing), a view of the ceiling of my bathroom when she (thankfully) puts my phone down to take care of business and wash her hands (popping her face into view every so often so that she can get really dramatic), and flicking the lights on and off. It culminates with her sitting on the floor of her room, applying lip gloss as theatrically as one could ever dream of applying it.

Why does she feel the need to document the seemingly mundane? YouTube.

I have to tell you, I love Chrissy Teigen. From shutting down mom shaming trolls on Twitter again and again to being a completely unapologetic goofball, she is my kind of girl. I mean, how can you not love someone who constantly finds herself turned into a meme and always manages to laugh it off? She doesn’t take herself too seriously and I love that about her.

Aside from the whole “I’m a model and married to John Legend” thing, she’s also really, really easy to relate to—especially since becoming a mom.

Take her night at the Oscars, for instance.

Chrissy started the night off by presenting her daughter with an Oscar while she was getting ready. Because moms always think their kids are just about the best at everything.

With Valentine’s Day rapidly approaching, moms everywhere are in the thick of the parental guilt zone. Should you buy those cheap and easy perforated cards from the store and risk being the only Lazy Mom in the class? Or should you spend hours handcrafting delightfully creative expressions of little Suzy’s personality and miss out on sleep for a week? Is there a middle ground?

If you’re like me, you’ll be right in the middle of one completely unnecessary guilt bubble when another bobs to the surface: what the hell am I doing for my husband?!

To entertain myself and fight off any tiny urge to spend hours crafting valentines that kids will immediately throw out, I came up with some brutally honest valentines for parents. You’re welcome.

Forget the tiger stripes on your belly and that weird droopy pancake thing your boobs are doing now. Having a baby doesn’t just rock your body. It rocks your whole entire world. I mean, if being in charge of keeping a helpless little human alive doesn’t fill you with pure terror, I’m pretty sure nothing will.

Luckily, there have been one or two people before you who have embarked on this whole parenting adventure. And—better yet—there are some pretty famous parents who have shared hilariously relatable thoughts on parenting.

So much of what’s on the internet and social media about motherhood focuses on what’s hard. We talk about sleepless nights and tantrum-filled days and constantly feeling like a failure. I wholeheartedly admit that being a mom is the hardest job I’ve ever had. It can be brutal and exhausting, but it’s also really, really amazing.

This Mother’s Day, I want to change the conversation. Instead of focusing on what’s hard, I want to celebrate all of the ways we kick ass. So I’m assembling our very own #supermomsquad.

Between today and 5/1 you can post a photo of your mom superpower on social media with the hashtag #supermomsquad (make sure you also tag me so that I can see it @cuddlesandchaos on Facebook and Instagram and @jennifergarry on Twitter). On 5/1, I’ll put all of the entries into a Facebook album. You can share it and encourage your friends and family to vote for your entry. The photo with the most likes by Mother’s Day (5/8) will win an awesome grand prize bundle that includes:

about the momma

Hi! I'm Jen, a freelance writer and girl mom who loves reading the newest children’s books as much as I love a good psychological thriller. I believe fiercely in the power of kindness, empathy, and really good quality chocolate. When I'm not knee-deep in glittery crafts and girl talk, you can probably find me sprawled out on my couch in the middle of a Netflix marathon with dark chocolate smeared on my face. The struggle is real. Learn more about me here.

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